1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hand held dusting fans and, more particularly, to a compact fan that combines dusting, blowing, and swabbing functions into one portable hand held apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
While no one will question the usefulness and convenience of such consumer electronic devices, such as VCR""s, stereos, computers and the like, they all suffer from one common drawback. That drawback is the difficulty encountered in keeping them all clean. It is almost impossible to use a dustcloth on such items, like one would use on furniture items due to the many cracks and crevices common to such devices. Brushes and other cleaning devices are also equally uneffective due to their limited reach and ineffectiveness at cleaning large, flat surfaces. If water or other liquid-based cleaners are used, one runs the risk of electrocution or possible damage to plastic components due to the use of some cleaning chemicals.
One method of cleaning such devices in the past has been through the use of compressed air in a can. While such cleaning methods do work, repeated use, especially on a weekly basis, would soon become cost prohibitive due to the cost per can of compressed air, and the amount of air that must be used each time.
In the related art other hand held fan combinations are known. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,167 issued in the name of Lederer and U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,732 issued in the name of Lederer a compact, portable misting fan garnering power from batteries is disclosed.
Also, the following patents describe a hand-held electric fan/hair dryer:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,134 issued in the name of Ibekwe;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,416 issued in the name of Levin et al.;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,654 issued in the name of Levin et al.; and
U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,382 issued in the name of Bourdeau.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,534 issued in the name of Lai discloses a combination electric fan and flashlight removably mounted to a bicycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,328 issued in the name of Schmidtz describes a device for cleaning appliances using cleaning liquids ventilated by means of a fan.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,022 issued in the name of Compton et al. discloses a battery-operated compact disk cleaner with brushes and a fan.
And finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,292 issued in the name of Hwang describes a small dust catcher including a fan, motor, and battery case.
Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which air movement can be used to clean sensitive electronic items without the dangers or risk of damage associated with liquid cleaners and the cost associated with compressed air in cans.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for dusting and cleaning sensitive electrical appliances.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus that provides for forced air dusting in combination with swab dusting.
There are features of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is hand held and portable.
It is a feature of one embodiment of the present invention to be portable battery operated.
It is a feature of another embodiment of the present invention to be electrically powered, utilizing a power cord for its electrical supply.
Briefly described according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the overall shape of the invention is tube-like with a direct current fan mounted on the inside of the tube along with xe2x80x9cDxe2x80x9d-size dry cell batteries and an on/off switch. In an alternate embodiment, a power cord is provided to an alternating current fan mounted inside the tube. Air is pulled through the tube by the fan and discharged through one end of the invention. That same end of the invention is also equipped with cotton-covered leather fringes to aid in the cleaning process. It is envisioned that the fringes would flutter in the air path and dislodge any dust on the surface to be cleaned. The blowing air would then carry the same dust away. The invention is also equipped with an extension wand mounted on a pivot point, and a narrow nozzle for getting into small locations.
The use of the present invention allows for cleaning sensitive electronic devices, where harsh cleaning chemicals or hard physical contact could damage such items.